22 ideas win Knight News Challenge: Libraries

In September we launched the 12th Knight News Challenge, on libraries, asking the question, “How might we leverage libraries as a platform to build more knowledgeable communities?” Today we’re announcing 22 winners of that challenge, awarding the recipients a share of $3 million for their ideas.

Building on previous experience working with libraries, this challenge has helped us learn a great deal about libraries and the challenges they face while serving the information needs of their communities. Several themes emerged among the winners, including focusing on digital rights and privacy; history and digital preservation; the maker movement and open data.

We look forward to learning more as the projects develop and to applying that knowledge to our work more broadly. Additionally, we have experienced firsthand the enthusiasm inside and outside of libraries for making them vibrant civic institutions in a digital age.

Helping more communities share their histories online by creating a mobile kit that will scan and digitize print materials for public archiving in partnership with Brooklyn Public Library and Queens Library.

Working with local communities and technologists to turn historical maps and other library collections into an interactive directory for the exploration of New York across time periods.

Prototype Fund awards

Fourteen winners of the News Challenge will receive prototype funding. These projects will be awarded $35,000, receive training on design and innovation methodology and rapidly iterate on their ideas over a six-month period. (To be part of the next Knight Prototype Fund cohort, apply by Feb. 16) The winners of prototype awards are:

BklynShare by Brooklyn Public Library (New York; project lead: Michael Fieni; Twitter: @bklynlibrary): Enabling people to learn new skills through a service that connects knowledge seekers with experts in their own neighborhood

Book a Nook by Harvard University metaLAB (Boston; project lead: Jeffrey Schnapp; Twitter: @metalabharvard, @berkmancenter, @jaytiesse): Activating library public spaces for diverse community uses by testing a software toolkit that streamlines the exploration and reservation of physical library spaces.

The Community Resource Lab by District of Columbia Public Library (Washington, D.C.; project lead: Meaghan O’Connor; Twitter: @dcpl): Advancing the library as the primary anchor of an open information system that connects residents to essential health, human and social services.

Journalism Digital News Archive by University of Missouri Libraries and the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute(Columbia, Mo.; project lead: Edward McCain; Twitter: @e_mccain): Ensuring access to digital news content through development of a model for archiving and preserving digital content that can be used across the country.

Making the Invisible Visible by Bibliocommons (Boston; project lead: Iain Lowe Twitter: @bibliocommons, @ilowelife): Prototyping an app to give patrons a deeper library experience based on the user’s location, interests and actions in the library.

Privacy Literacy by San Jose Public Library (San Jose, Calif.; project leads: Erin Berman and Jon Worona; Twitter: @SanJoseLibrary): Developing online tools which will help individuals understand privacy in the digital age and make more informed decisions about their online activity.

Information for Innovation by Kent State University Library (Kent, Ohio; project lead: Karen McDonald; Twitter: @KentState_LIB): Exploring ways to provide information services to local entrepreneurs and business counselors, to see what services they might need to reach their goals.

This Place Matters by Marshall University (Huntington, W.Va.; project lead: Monica Brooks; Twitter: @MUPlaceMatters): Exploring the potential of a location-aware mobile application to share African American history and link to library resources.

Your Next Skill by Seattle Public Library (Seattle; project lead: Jennifer Yeung; Twitter: @splbuzz): Helping people acquire new skills or expand their knowledge by creating a librarian-led, referral service that connects users with materials, classes and instructors that will help them meet their goals.

A special thanks to everyone who helped make this challenge possible. As with other challenges, we relied on the expertise of outside advisers as part of the review process. For this challenge 27 advisers helped us read all of the entries and review the semifinalists. Additionally, I would like to thank everyone who submitted ideas and who participated on the challenge platform. We are inspired by the energy in the library community and look forward to being involved in innovative work coming from these important civic institutions.